The Penguin Insuperable - Rosemary?

Bartholomew: Don’t look at me like that! She’s the only one who’s kissed the frog. They expect me to cook it again! (Nori looks up: HUH?) I’m not ambitious, I wasn’t trying to cook, I was just trying to stay out of trouble. You’re the one who was getting fancy with the spices! What’d you throw in there? Oregano? (Nori SHAKES HEAD: “NO”) No? What, rosemary? (Again, Nori shakes head) That’s a spice, isn’t it? Rosemary? (At this Nori NODS) You didn’t put rosemary in there.

Nori shakes his head. Bartholomew SLUMPS down on the bank, sets the Nori jar next to him.

Barbara: It serves me right for wishing on stars. The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work.

Bartholomew: Why… why would a princess need to work hard?

Barbara NODS: I’m a waitress.

Bartholomew: Oh...A waitress? Well you wonder the kiss did work!

Barbara: I was wearing a lily pad dress. You spoiled little rich boy.

Bartholomew: Oh, oh yeah? Well, the egg is on your face, alright, because I do not have any riches!

Barbara: This could work. Hey, they liked the soup--

With an expansive gesture Bartholomew accidentally KNOCKS NORI’S JAR INTO THE SEINE of the East River. Horrified, Bartholomew DIVES IN after with Barbara.

JUMP CUT TO: ALONG BANKS OF SEINE - MINUTES LATER

Bartholomew sits on a bench, soaking wet, the jar with Nori successfully retrieved and sitting next to him.

Bartholomew: They liked the soup. You think you could... do it again? (Nori NODS) I’m gonna let you go. But we’re together on this. Right? (Nori NODS again) Okay.

Bartholomew sets the jar down on its side and carefully OPENS the lid. Barbara GETS OUT OF WATER and COUGHS.

Barbara: You said… You were fabulously wealthy!

Bartholomew: No, no, no. My parents are fabulously wealthy.

LINGUINI’S FLAT - NIGHT

Darkness. we hear KEYS fumbling in a lock. Bartholomew and Barbara KICK the warped door a few times, opening it enough to enter, and wrestle his bicycle through. He turns on a light, REVEALING-- -a tiny, odd-shaped room; two doors in the wall; one a bathroom, the other a closet, both tiny. One window, a table with two chairs. Hotplate. A miniscule, ancient refrigerator. A ratty couch doubles as a bed, a portable black & white t.v. rests precariously on one arm.

Bartholomew: This is it. It’s not much, but it’s- (he looks around) --not much. (to Nori, shrugs)

Could be worse; there’s heat and light and a couch with a TV.

Barbara: So, y’know-- what’s mine is yours.

Nori looks over the new digs. He likes them just fine.

LATER

Fast asleep on the couch, Bartholomew and Barbara are bathed in the flickering light from a Japanese very romantic MAGIC ROUNDABOUT COMPUTER-ANIMATED MOVIE on TV. TWO LOVERS stand handsomely in the swirling steam of a soon to depart locomotive, staring into each other’s eyes--

DOUGAL (TV): Are you-- is this... a dream?

FLORENCE (TV): The best kind of dream. One we can share.

Tucked in to an OVEN MITT near the window sill, NORI gazes dreamily at the lights of New York. The romantic MOVIE MUSIC swells, underscoring his emotions.

DOUGAL (OS TV): But why here? Why now?

FLORENCE (OS TV): Why not here? Why not now? What better place to dream... than in The Magic Roundabout?

Nori grins, slowly closes his eyes. Dreaming.